The Simon & Garfunkel Story, at Hamer Hall and touring - 2 hours 20 minutes, including interval

What is the highest compliment you can pay a tribute band, in this case one that looks at the life and times of the most successful folk rock duo in history?

Simon & Garfunkel sold more than 100 million records.

The answer is simple: shut your eyes and they sound just like the real deal.

And in the case of Israel Bloodgood and Luke Hogan, they do. They really do. 

The pair – who, from a distance, bear a resemblance to the duo in their heyday – head up The Simon & Garfunkel Story.

Having performed their narrative concert in over 50 countries, they are now touring Australia with three musicians, two of whom are occasionally also back-up singers.

The cavalcade of stirring melodies begins with a black and white video montage, showcasing evocative images of the era.

These are projected onto a giant screen at the back of the stage.

Stills and video – monochrome and, later, colour – punctuate the entire, compelling two-hour offering, elevating the spectacle and helping to set the tone.

Bloodgood and Hogan talk us through how these best friends – Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel – grew up in the same neighbourhood.

I speak of Queens, New York City in the 1940s.

They went to the same school, performed in the same school play and began singing together.

First up, it was under the name Tom & Jerry, with a nod to their idols, The Everly Brothers.

Success, though, wasn’t immediate. Simon branched out on his own, travelling and performing in England, while Garfunkel resumed his studies.

It was thanks to a DJ who frequently played The Sound of Silence that their career really took off and the pair was on their way.

That song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Bloodgood and Hogan weave the hits and lesser-known numbers through a set list that exceeds 30 songs, including a band-only medley.

What is immediately striking is how effortlessly they harmonise – their synchronicity is outstanding, as memories of Simon & Garfunkel come flooding back.

Bloodgood (guitar always in hand) and Hogan’s voices are pitch perfect – their mellifluous vocals immediate connect with an appreciative audience.

Act I incorporates The Sound of Silence, I Am A Rock, Homeward Bound, Scarborough Fair/Canticle and The 59^th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy).

The show is peppered with anecdotes about Simon & Garfunkel, including how the constant touring started to wear on the duo as they fell out.

The focus of Act II is the pair’s most successful albums – Bookends (1968) and Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970).

First up, it is Mrs Robinson, which featured in the hit movie The Graduate.

Other highlights include America, Cecilia and another hat tipper to The Everly Brothers, Bye Bye Love.

My personal highlight – and the acclamation it received suggests the highlight for all assembled – was Hogan’s sensitive Bridge Over Troubled Water solo.

That comes in the encore.

Make no mistake, I found the entire show moving, but the way this song alone was performed deserved a standing ovation. It reached into my soul.

As the extraordinary achievements of Simon & Garfunkel – now in their 80s – appeared on the screen, I was reminded of what a huge musical influence they remain.

The Simon & Garfunkel Story is a concert for the ages, performed by a duo who couldn’t be more reverential to a legacy writ large.

Making four costume changes, they, along with Dan Robinson on keyboard and guitar, Nick Martin on bass and Harry Denton on drums, deliver big time.

Poised and polished, their sound is endearing and enduring in a performance that needs to be seen and savoured, for like Simon & Garfunkel it reaches greatness.

Their Australian tour continues.

To find out more and to buy tickets, go to https://www.thesimonandgarfunkelstory.com/australia/